You get a free balloon at this Pierce County party shop. They do arches, walls, DIY kits
Balloons make Autumn Wright happy.
Her storefront in downtown Puyallup is one way she shares that happiness.
Wright owns Merriment & Company at 109 W. Meeker. She opened the doors to her balloon store in November. Before that, she ran the business out of her home. Her goal since she started it in 2018 has been to offer quality balloons at affordable prices, she said.
The store offers custom installations, balloon backdrops, backdrop rentals, grab-and-go garlands and do-it-yourself kits. Prices vary and depend on the type, shape and size of the balloons.
A standard garland with balloons ranging from 5-16 inches can cost $20 per foot. A 4-foot do-it-yourself kit can cost $40. A basic installation can cost $100.
All her balloons are sustainably sourced and biodegradable, Wright said. This means the balloons are collected through rubber tapping — collecting latex from a rubber tree — as opposed to being made with plastic.
“It doesn’t have any plastic or toxins in it,” Wright said.
Wright learned how to do balloon installations at a “balloon school” in Dallas, Texas, she said. Her family joked she would become a clown by the time she finished school. Balloon installations eventually became her art.
The quality of the balloons is what makes Wright’s business different from other party stores, she said. She also offers free balloons to those who stop by the store.
“I remember as a child getting a balloon, and it just made me so happy,” Wright said. “If we’re able to bring that same joy to another child, then that makes life even better.”
The balloon store is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
